Planning benchmark study for SBRT of early stage NSCLC : Results of the DEGRO Working Group Stereotactic Radiotherapy.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatment planning variability for early stage nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with respect to the published guidelines of the Stereotactic Radiotherapy Working Group of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO).

Materials And Methods: Planning computed tomography (CT) scan and the structure sets (planning target volume, PTV; organs at risk, OARs) of 3 patients with early stage NSCLC were sent to 22 radiotherapy departments with SBRT experience: each department was asked to prepare a treatment plan according to the DEGRO guidelines. The prescription dose was 3 fractions of 15 Gy to the 65% isodose.

Filmless evaluation of the mechanical accuracy of the isocenter in stereotactic radiotherapy.

Background And Purpose: The Winston-Lutz test verifies the mechanical accuracy of the isocenter in stereotactic radiotherapy. A lead ball inside a small beam is exposed to film applying different combinations of the gantry angle and the table angle. The increasing replacement of films by digital images requires alternative imaging methods.

Portal verification using the KODAK ACR 2000 RT storage phosphor plate system and EC films. A semiquantitative comparison.

Background And Purpose: The suitability of the storage phosphor plate system ACR 2000 RT (Eastman Kodak Corp., Rochester, MN, USA), that is destined for portal verification as well as for portal simulation imaging in radiotherapy, had to be proven by the comparison with a highly sensitive verification film.

Material And Methods: The comparison included portal verification images of different regions (head and neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis) irradiated with 6- and 15-MV photons and electrons.